Just Be the Song of My Soul
by Acting-Singing-Bella
Summary: Gabriella is pregnant with Troy’s child. But what happens when he gets an injury and is stuck in Iraq and Gabriella has to give birth to their child alone?


Just the Perfect Moment

**Just Be the Song of my Soul**

**Author's note: ****Hey everyone! So I would really like you guys to read and review this…it would make me feel better if you guys did. I love it when you guys read and review my story. Also, give me ideas for another one. I love to satisfy people with my stories. Thanks guys! And the song that is featured in this story was written by me.**

**Summary: ****Gabriella is pregnant with Troy's child. But what happens when he gets an injury and is stuck in Iraq and Gabriella has to give birth to their child alone?**

* * *

Twenty-four year old Gabriella Bolton sat on her bed and let hot salty tears stream down her cheeks. She had just heard on the news that ten soldiers in Iraq were mortally injured. Her husband, Troy Bolton being one of them. She had been told that it wasn't life threatening; Troy just got shot in the leg as well as a few scars. He had stayed at a local hospital in Iraq and he called her everyday to give her an update on how he was. But she hadn't received one for two whole days. And she was nine months pregnant with Troy's child. She was going to have the baby any day soon. She couldn't even help but freeze in horror when she thought about having the baby and Troy being gone. Wiping away her tears, Gabriella rested her head down on her pillow and she placed both her hands on her large and swollen stomach.

She could feel the baby kicking as if to say 'hi mommy I'm in here'. She smiled through her tears. She couldn't help but smile when she thought about becoming a mother. Motherhood had been something she dreamed about since she was a young girl. She was ready for it. But she couldn't help but sob when she thought about Troy not being able to see his first child being born. Gabriella tried to look on the bright side. Maybe she hadn't heard from him because he was on the plane coming back home. Maybe he was coming back to surprise her. But Gabriella couldn't get her hopes up. She had to prepare herself for all worst case scenarios. She knew that not everything would turn out like a perfect fairy tale. She wished that she could go back to kindergarten and believe everything had a happy ending, but she was twenty-four now; she had to face the cruelness of reality. Suddenly, Gabriella's phone began to ring. Gabriella lunged for the phone and she pressed the talk button and answered it, praying and hoping it was who she thought it was.

"Hello?" Gabriella answered, trying to remain calm. There was a pause. Gabriella began to secretly fear that someone knew that she wanted Troy to call her and they decided to prank call her. Finally, after a short wait, Gabriella got a reply.

"Hey love." Gabriella heard a weak Troy answer into the phone. Gabriella smiled happily to herself. She had longed to hear his voice.

"Oh Troy, I was so worried when you didn't call. I was afraid that something happened to you." Gabriella said, her voice going weak on her when she told him that she was frightened. She heard Troy stifle a laugh on the other end.

"I know I am so sorry Hun. Lieutenant Connor told us that we couldn't talk on the phone because shooters were close by and that would blow our cover. I'm sorry if I worried you." Troy apologized over the phone.

"It's okay Troy. I'm just glad that you're safe." Gabriella earnestly said. She heard Troy throttle out another laugh.

"So how is Andrew Michael Lerato Bolton? Or how is Emma Leah Bolton?" Troy asked in regards to the baby.

Gabriella smiled to herself. Troy really wanted those names for the baby. Troy had begged Gabriella to find out the gender of the baby, but she wanted to be surprised. When Troy saw that he couldn't convince her to go, he gave in. But he made a deal with Gabriella that he would get to name the baby if it was a boy and Gabriella would if it was a girl. Troy really liked the name Andrew Michael Lerato. His grandfather's name was Andrew and Troy's middle name was Michael and he wanted his son to have something from him in his name. But Troy did not tell her what Lerato meant. He promised that once the baby, if it was a boy, was born, he would tell her the meaning and why he chose it for their child. Gabriella picked Emma Leah. Gabriella's mother's name was Emma and Gabriella's grandmother was named Leah. But something inside Gabriella told her that she was going to have a son. But Troy said that they were going to have a daughter. They both stopped that argument and just decided they would let time determine what their baby is.

"Our baby is fine…we both miss you though. I just wish you could be here and see our baby be born." Gabriella said, wishing for nothing but Troy to come home safe. Troy sighed to himself.

"Gabriella, there is a reason why I called." Troy told her solemnly. Gabriella's heart began to pump profusely.

"What is it Troy?" Gabriella asked, fearing to know the answer.

"Well Gabs…I am…" Before Troy could even finish his sentence, Gabriella abruptly screamed in pain. Gabriella felt strong contractions hitting her like never before.

"Gabriella darling, are you okay?" Troy asked in pure concern. Gabriella froze in pure horror and she saw that her hand was soaked to the skin. Her water broke. She was going to have the baby now. Gabriella felt the room beginning to spin uncontrollably when she realized that she would have the baby two weeks before it was due.

"Troy, my water just broke!" Gabriella panicked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I thought you weren't due for another two weeks!" Troy exclaimed, in fear that something would happen when he wasn't there.

"I thought so too! The baby must have decided to come early! Oh God Troy, what am I going to do?!" Gabriella asked in a panic, more tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Oh God…Gabriella, I need you to call someone to take you to the hospital. I want you to stay strong okay? I'll be back soon." Troy told her in a calm and soothing voice that only he could evoke in her.

"T-troy I can't do this. Not without you!" Gabriella cried into the phone, struggling to overlook her pain.

"Gabriella, I need you to be strong for me. And for our baby! I will be there in spirit. I love you both so much." Troy told her. And with that said; they were disconnected. Gabriella began to shake uncontrollably when he hung up. She didn't know what to do. With rickety fingers, Gabriella called Taylor to come get her and bring her to the hospital, to deliver her baby.

_**At the hospital, eight hours later…**_

Gabriella screamed in pain as she pushed for the second time. She clutched onto Chad and Taylor's hands as she pushed when each contraction hit her. Gabriella found that every time she pushed, she began to feel more nauseous than before. Maybe it was normal. She didn't know; this was her first time ever having a baby. Gabriella pushed for a fourth time and let out a vociferous scream that even made Taylor and Chad cringe when she screamed. Suddenly, Gabriella heard all of the monitors going off and giving off loud ringing sounds. Gabriella stopped pushing and looked at the monitors in terror. What did this mean? Was everything okay? What was happening to her and the baby?

"We're losing the baby!" One of the doctors called out, almost reading what was on Gabriella's mind. Upon hearing this, Gabriella almost began to sob violently. She couldn't lose her baby too. She began to shake and cry as she began to push again, only to find herself sobbing in agony. Gabriella wished that she had Troy there; he was her rock and was the only person in the world that could calm her down.

"C'mon Gabriella, you're doing fine! Just keep pushing!" Taylor told her as she clutched her hand tighter. Chad nodded in agreement.

"Troy would be so proud of you!" Chad told her, knowing that if she heard Troy's name, she would gain the strength to have her baby. And Chad was right; she took in a big breath and she took one final push and the room was heard with a shrieking cry of a baby. One doctor held the crying baby while the other doctor cut the umbilical cord. Once the doctor wrapped the baby up in a yellow coverlet, the doctor handed Gabriella the crying baby. The doctor smiled at Gabriella.

"Congratulations Mrs. Bolton; you have a beautiful bouncing baby boy. You're lucky that he survived; he almost died during birth." The doctor told her proudly before walking out of the room. Gabriella smiled happily, staring at the baby boy that was whimpering in her arms. Her son lived. She saw that she almost lost him and was more than grateful when he was alive. Gabriella cried at the sight of her son. He looked just like Troy. He had the same face as Troy and he even had the same ocean blue eyes as his father. But he had Gabriella's dark raven colored hair. Gabriella let a single tear fall as she gazed at her tiny infant son. She wished Troy could be there to see their child; he was by far the most beautiful little boy she had ever seen.

"Gabriella, he is beautiful." Taylor said in amazement. Chad nodded in agreement and smiled at the little baby.

"He looks just like Troy. What are you two going to name him? You guys have a name picked out already or something?" Chad asked casually. Gabriella stared at her beautiful son and could've sworn that she could hear Troy's voice telling her to name him. Gabriella smiled sadly as she stroked her son's downy cheek.

"Andrew Michael Lerato Bolton. His name shall be Andrew Michael Lerato Bolton." Gabriella announced, not taking her eye off of her son, fearing that if she did, she would lose him like she almost did before.

"That's a cute name. Did Troy pick it out?" Taylor asked as she gently ran the backside of her hand on Andrew's head.

"Yeah he did." Gabriella uttered out.

"What does Lerato mean?" Chad asked, confused to the meaning of the name. Gabriella bit her lip and held Andrew close to her. As he fell asleep on her chest, Gabriella shook her head.

"I don't know. Troy never told me." Gabriella said, just above a whisper. Chad and Taylor just looked at each other. They both already knew that it was killing Gabriella to know that she was going to have to take care of Andrew by herself until Troy got back from Iraq.

_**Two days later…**_

It had been two days since Gabriella gave birth to Andrew and she was back at home. Gabriella had gone through two separate days, but to her it was just one long one. All her days seemed blended together because she hadn't slept in two days. Andrew never slept and when he did, it was only for half an hour. He was very colicky and Gabriella always had to feed him and rock him to sleep. It was really wearing Gabriella out. She was so worn out from the lack of sleep that she was getting dizzy and she was still sore from giving birth. Needless to say, Gabriella was a wreck. She hadn't even eaten a proper meal since she gave birth. The only source of anything that she had lived off of was water and leftover broth. She hadn't had the opportunity to even grill herself a proper dinner.

Gabriella also hadn't received a call from Troy since the last conversation they had. Gabriella began to worry about Troy. She knew that she couldn't take care of Andrew without Troy by her side. She couldn't even imagine lasting another day without Troy there to help her. But Gabriella knew she had to be selfless; she knew that Troy had been shot in the leg and needed his time to recover. Even if he did come back, he wouldn't be able to do much because of his injury. But she just wanted to feel him against her so she could go to bed knowing that she would walk up with him beside her. Gabriella let a tear of despair streak her cheek when Andrew didn't stop crying. She had tried everything; feeding him, rocking him and even tried showing him one of his toys, but he refused to stop crying.

"Andrew, please don't cry anymore." Gabriella almost begged. But Andrew just continued to cry. Gabriella bit her lip and shook her head. She was being very immature. He was just a baby; of course he was going to cry. It was only natural. Gabriella gently placed the crying infant into his crib and his tears began to slowly die down and he just stared at his mother with his beautiful sapphire eyes. Gabriella smiled weakly as she caressed Andrew's cheek.

"Andrew, I love you so much. I know that you're seeing mommy as a complete wreck right now, but I love you more than anyone could imagine. And…if…when your father comes back home, he will love you just as much. You are the spitting image of him. We both love you very much. And…about two weeks ago, I wrote a song for you. When you grow up, your father and I will give you more details, but it was singing that led me to your father. And I would like to think that music will do the very same for you. This is my lullaby for you Andrew. I called it 'always be my baby'." Gabriella told her son, who just stared at his mother in awe. Gabriella closed her eyes and began to sing to her little wonder.

"_Oh you gave me a reason to wake up everyday_

_I think of you and I can just see you growing up and going your own way_

_No matter what happens in life, you will always be my baby_

_I only want what is best for you _

_You can grow up to be whatever you wish to be_

_No matter what happens in life, you will always be my baby_

_I will stand by you and I will catch you when I fall_

_You will grow to be the best you can be_

_But my sweet little baby…just always know…_

_No matter what happens in life…you will always be my baby…"_

Gabriella sang her beautiful lullaby to her little wonder and she smiled when she saw that he was fast asleep, breathing rhythmically on his crib. Andrew was even snoring! Gabriella bent down into the crib and softly kissed the top of his head and she tiptoed out of his room and closed the door, hoping that she could get at least an hour and a half of sleep. Walking into her bedroom like a zombie, Gabriella collapsed onto her bed and let her exhaustion consume her. She didn't remember how long it had taken her to fall asleep; all she knew was that she went to bed, thinking of Andrew…and Troy.

_**7:30 AM the next morning…**_

Gabriella awoke to the sounds of Andrew cooing through the baby monitor and also to the sounds of someone moving in the next room. Slowly opening her eyes, Gabriella felt more relaxed than she had in days. She actually slept longer than she expected. Slowly getting up from her bed, Gabriella gently rubbed her eyes and she waltzed out of her bedroom and began to walk towards Andrew's nursery. As Gabriella walked over, she saw that the window in the bathroom was open. That was strange. Gabriella closed it last night. She never left it open. Maybe she was so out of it these past few days that she forgot. Shrugging it off, Gabriella walked to Andrew's nursery and saw that his door was wide open. Gabriella knew for a fact that she closed his door. What was going on? Gabriella walked into his nursery and she froze in shock at what she saw. She saw Andrew…being held by Troy in his rocking chair. Troy was back at home. He must have come back a few hours ago and didn't bother to wake up Gabriella because he knew that she needed the sleep. Troy saw Gabriella just standing there in shock and he smiled at her.

"Hey." Troy said casually. Gabriella was so happy to see Troy that she felt her eyes begin to fill with tears. Troy, her Troy, the father of her son…was back home. Gabriella paced over to him and she got down to the level of Troy on the rocking chair and she passionately kissed him, like she would die if she didn't. When Gabriella released his lips from her own, she gazed into his cerulean eyes and let a single tear stroll down her cheek. Nothing could've made her happier than that moment when she saw Troy there with her and Andrew.

"Troy, I'm so glad you're home." Gabriella said, trying to make sure that she wasn't going crazy. Troy smiled and he held his son close to him.

"I'm glad too. I didn't want to go another day without you…or my son." Troy said, smiling down at Andrew who was falling asleep in his father's arms. Gabriella smiled and she let her index finger run down Andrew's cheek.

"He looks just like you Troy. He really is a beautiful and sweet boy." Gabriella said in awe of her son. Troy smiled at his sleeping son and he placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"I've only been with him for half an hour and I love him so much already." Troy told Gabriella, unable to believe that he was a father. Gabriella smiled and she kissed Andrew's cheek and then looked back at her husband.

"When did you get back?" Gabriella asked.

"About forty-five minutes ago. I saw that you were sleeping and I knew that you didn't get any sleep so I just let you sleep and I went to meet my son and here I am." Troy explained with a smile. Gabriella smiled happily in return. After months of worrying about whether she would ever see Troy again, he was finally back home. She had nothing to worry about now.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were coming back home?" Gabriella asked, wondering why Troy wouldn't tell her. Troy grinned weakly and nodded his head.

"I did try to tell you. Unfortunately, you began to scream in pain before I could tell you. And I would've tried to call back, but then we were flown back and I didn't have a phone in hand. I just thought about you both the whole time." Troy told Gabriella, so much love in his voice that she wanted to cry.

"It doesn't matter that you didn't call me back Troy; I'm glad you're back home." Gabriella said, fearing that she was dreaming and she would wake up and never see Troy. When they heard Andrew snoring on his father's lap, Gabriella and Troy both shared a chuckle. For not sleeping for almost three days, Andrew was sleeping a lot now. Gabriella took Andrew from Troy's arms and she safely put him into his crib. When she draped his blue blanket around him, she turned back to face her husband and she saw that he got up from the rocking chair and grabbed his crutches. Gabriella suddenly remembered that Troy got shot.

"C'mon Troy let's go lay down." Gabriella said, leading him out of the nursery and into their bedroom. When they were both in their bedroom, Gabriella closed their door and they both rested down on their bed. Gabriella sat on her bed and watched Troy as he threw off his white shirt and took off his jeans, wearing nothing but his boxers. It was only then Gabriella saw his upper leg wrapped up in gauze that she realized that he must have gone through so much. When Troy curled up in the bed beside her, he wrapped an arm around her and she gently rested her head on his bare chest.

"Troy, are you in pain?" Gabriella asked just above a whisper. Troy looked at his worried wife and he brushed his lips against her forehead.

"A little bit…but it's not as bad as it was before." Troy told her with honesty.

"If I'm hurting you, I can get off. I really don't want you to…" Gabriella began to say, but then Troy silenced her by pressing a finger across her lips. He gazed into her chocolate brown eyes as his finger that was across her lips began to outline her lips.

"You are not hurting me honey. Are you okay? I imagine that giving birth and taking care of Andrew alone wasn't something you wanted." Troy said, his voice going weak on him when he thought about Gabriella being alone with the baby.

"It wasn't easy. I almost lost Andrew; the doctors told me that they were losing him during birth, but he pulled through." Gabriella told him, not getting the sounds of her wild sobs when the doctors out of her mind.

"I am so sorry Gabriella. I feel guilty that I wasn't there to see Andrew being born and be there to comfort you." Troy told her, guilt in his voice. Gabriella shook her head and smiled at Troy.

"Troy, the worst is behind us now. Look at what we brought into the world. And I can guarantee you that this won't be the only child we will have together." Gabriella told him with love and devotion in her voice. Troy smiled lovingly at his wife and he kissed her cheek.

"No it won't. But for right now, let's just watch Andrew grow and discover new things. He already looks like he has a lot to accomplish." Troy told her, still in love with the fact that he was a father. Gabriella smiled at her husband and she then realized that he still had to tell her something.

"Troy, you have to tell me what Lerato means." Gabriella told him with a serious stare in her eyes. Troy looked back into his wife's eyes and saw how serious she was. He knew that he couldn't tease her; she had been through a lot, including almost losing their son and her husband. With a smile, Troy turned on his side to face her and he cupped her cheek into his hand and he gently caressed her cheek. Troy smiled at his wife and continuously ghosted the pad of his thumb across her cheek.

"Do you remember the night of our wedding and there was that part in my vow that made you cry?" Troy asked, lazily stroking her cheek.

"Troy there was a lot in your vow that made me cry." Gabriella told him with a smile. Troy shook his head and still maintained that beam.

"No, no, no there was one part you started to really cry. It was when I told you that I just want you to be the song of my soul." Troy informed her. Gabriella smiled when she remembered his vow. It completely touched her.

"I remember now Troy. Almost ruined my makeup because I crying so much. But what does that have to do with…" Gabriella began to ask, but Troy abruptly interrupted her.

"That's just it! I knew that it was when we sang together that night that we ended up together. And I wanted that to reflect on our children's lives. I did some research and in Latin, Lerato means 'song of my soul'." Troy told her, lovingly caressing her cheek. Gabriella began to feel tears of love moisten her eyes. That was the most romantic thing that Troy had ever done for her.

"Troy, I love you so much! I can't even explain how much you mean to me." Gabriella told him, nothing but love in her voice. Troy smiled as he caressed her cheek tenderly and he slowly began to move into her.

"I love you Gabriella." Troy whispered as he captured her lips into his. Holding her face in his hands, Gabriella placed both of her hands on his shoulders and she returned the kiss. The passion that they shared was more than real and was full of true love. When their lips parted from each other, Gabriella smiled at her husband who was everything that she could ever want.

"What did I ever do to still have you all these years?" Gabriella asked truthfully. Troy smiled lovingly as he caressed her cheek.

"You don't have to do anything. Just promise that no matter what you will be the song of my soul." Troy told her with a smile. Gabriella smiled and kissed her husband again. With a husband like him and a son who she adored, she knew that she could fulfill that promise.

_**The end**_

* * *

_**Please read and review and give me ideas for another story! And check out my other HSM stories if you want!!**_

_**Acting-Singing-Bella**_


End file.
